A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rack for a pistol, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Sportsmen who collect or use fire arms, as a general rule, take particularly good care of the weapons they own including the cleaning and storage aspects of responsible ownership. With regard to handguns, most owners keep their small guns locked in a secure location, and often owners will have a commercial safe in their home for the sole purpose of securing their handguns.
Many individuals and organizations maintain and store firearms usually in some form of locking device to provide a certain amount of security for the weapon or weapons. The security requirements are to prevent unauthorized use or theft of the weapon or weapons. In particular, the home is vulnerable to robbery and subsequent theft of any weapons, or the weapon could be used on the homeowner by the robber. Usually, the owner will store firearms in a locking rack that is generally made of wood and offers very little security for the contained weapon. Most gun racks are loosely attached to a wall or similar object, which means that the entire gun rack may be taken for later removal of the contained firearms.
One of the inconveniences of storing handguns is that it is convention to store a handgun by laying it on its side. In some situations, the gun is in the original case it was in when purchased, in other situations the gun is simply laid on a towel or blanket. Unfortunately, space in an affordable safe is generally limited and therefore storing handguns quickly uses the available space, leaving the active owner in a state of consternation.
Numerous innovations for pistol storing devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described below. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they each differ in structure and/or operation and/or purpose from the present invention in that they do not teach an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position.
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,466 to Cislo.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,466 issued to Cislo on Jan. 2, 1990 teaches an apparatus to lock a handgun within a compartment while the compartment is readily lockable to a stationary object using a detachable bracket. The compartment is only accessible by authorized persons selecting a particular code that unlocks a latch to open the compartment. The bracket can only be detached when the apparatus is in an open position. The latch can be lighted to allow the selecting of the proper code in darkness. The apparatus also serves to carry the handgun and can be subsequently used to so secure the handgun at another location.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,276 to Pierce.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,276 issued to Pierce on Apr. 2, 1996 teaches a stand for storing multiple handguns, including a base and a vertical panel perpendicular to the base. The vertical panel contains a number of slots with a follower behind the panel and studs extending through the panel to engage a threaded cavity in the follower. The stud and follower slide in the slot and are locked in place by a stop ring on the stud. The barrel of a handgun slides over the stud and the heel of the grip may rest on the base.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,291 to Graham.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,291 issued to Graham on May 28, 1996 teaches a manner of locking firearms within a theft proof gun rack. The apparatus comes in two embodiments for use with long guns or pistols and utilizes a locking bar locking the firearm within a given partition within the gun rack. The long gun embodiment of the apparatus accepts various sized guns, either in or out of soft gun cases, by using an optional spacer to accept smaller guns within the rack. The apparatus is designed to be mounted to a wall or similar object, and once a firearm is in place and locked, the mounting bolts are unreachable. Protection of the finish of the firearm is afforded by a resilient covering on all parts of the rack that come in contact with the firearm.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,865 to Bissey.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,865 issued to Bissey on Dec. 7, 1999 teaches a container for securing a hand gun and ammunition in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The container is foam lined and has preformed contour receptacles for accommodating a particular style of hand gun and ammunition associated therewith. The container has a securable lid and a hinged flap along a lower edge for insertion between the passenger seat and the passenger seat back rest. The hinged flap has a securing apparatus for attachment once so inserted. The container further has hook and loop fasteners secured to the underside for alternatively securing the container to the front passenger floor of the passenger compartment.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,070 to Kolpin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,070 issued to Kolpin on Apr. 15, 2003 teaches a handgun case for protecting and transporting a pistol or revolver, including a closable outer shell, an inner liner within the outer shell, a variety of accessories removably attachable to the inner liner at any point on the inner liner, for example by hook-and-loop fasteners, a closed-cell foam pad between the outer shell and the inner liner, and a number of resilient protective ribs on the outer shell.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for pistol storing devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described, namely, an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position.